Iris
by ExplainingTheIndescribable
Summary: An unfortunate incident leaves Bellatrix in a wheelchair. Luckily for her, Hermione is the mediwitch-in-training assigned to look after her. Hermione has to manage Bella for six months, and then she will be a fully fledged mediwitch, but Bella doesn't want to waste her own time on what seems a futile attempt at recovery. Trigger warnings will apply.
1. Chapter 1

Bella crumpled inwards. She had been hit with a something, she didn't know what, she couldn't focus. Pain clouded her vision and pounded through her head, stampeding it's way down her body. Her spine was on fire and her heart was struggling to cope with the sheer intensity of the pain. This was it, Bella has survived the literal hell of Azkaban, frequent punishments from the dark lord, and countless to-the-death duels, only to be struck down going to the shops for orange juice.

She couldn't make out the fuzzy figure that watched her fall, the cause of this blinding pain, this terrible curse, she could only feel. The figure cocked its head and an almost sorrowful, small smile graced red lips. She knew how much pain her target must be in. She contemplated for a moment, then moved forward. Things had to be this way, it was the only way it would work.

Bellatrix Black woke up in hospital four days later. Cracking one eye open, she surveyed her surroundings. She should be dead, but clearly some higher power had decided otherwise. Her quick scan told her where she was, and that no one was around. Taking advantage of this, Bella pushed the bed sheet away and made to swung her legs over the side. If she could reach her boots and the back-up wand she kept in them, she could apparate away. She decided she would go home, sort her affairs and leave. Portugal had a wonderful magical community, full of pure bloods. Smiling slightly at the thought, before she stopped.

She couldn't feel her legs.

Maybe she'd slept in a weird position and they'd gone numb, she tried to rationalise. No matter how hard she poked, punched or tried to set her calves alight, she could feel nothing. She leant back into the pillows, and allowed the smallest of tears to escape and roll its way to freedom down her cheek. She hurriedly wiped it away, now was not the time to be weak. Her plans hadn't changed, she would still leave. It wasn't safe for her when she was able-bodied, that fuzzy figure had still taken her down. Now that she... had changed, it was imperative she leave at the first opportunity.

Attempting wandless magic after a good while out of practise, she managed to summon one shoe, crash a vase of fresh flowers into the wall just above her head, and explode the lightbulb. She would admitted she was a tad out of practise...

Finally managing to lift her right boot, she caught it two seconds before it would have hurtled into her face.

At the same moment she caught the boot, the door opened and a plump, motherly looking mediwitch entered. She was so caught up in the chart in her hand, that she missed Bella's antics, and gave the exhausted witch a few seconds to grab the wand from it's hidden compartment and slip it under the covers.

Turning to her charge, she her expression turned into shock for moment when she recognised the face. Quickly recovering her professional demeanour, Ms Tuck ran through what had happened. Bella zoned out, this witch blabbered too much... Interrupting softly, "When will regain the feeling? In my legs I mean." Ms Tuck stopped and deliberated with herself. Licking pink lips nervously, her gaze shifted to the door briefly. She could run if the patient reacted... Negatively.

"There is a strong possibility, that you won't." The mediwtich chanced a glance up, and was met with an impassive face. Bella already knew. She wasn't lucky enough to be one of the few that recovered. Hell, if she had any luck at all, she wouldn't be in this situation to begin with, she thought bitterly.

On the other side of St Mungo's, sitting in what she hoped would soon be her office, sat a quietly confident Hermione. Three and a half years ago, this was the room in which she had met her mentor on her first day as an intern. Now, she had left her other classmates behind to graduate two and a half years early. It was a new record in the history of the hospital. Or it would be, if the board of examiners decided she was aptly capable. She had passed the exams with flying colours, but she had little in the way of practical experience.

The meeting room dior swung open sharply, and McGonagall left the room with a look of disapproval on her face; she thought her protégé was more than ready to become a fully fledged mediwitch. It was only a shame that the decision was not hers alone. The rest of the board shuffled out, chatting amongst themselves, and leaving the girl's mentor to deliver the news.

Hermione's stomach dropped at the sight of McGonagall's expression. It wasn't looking good, she knew she should've taken that practical elective in second year... But it was too late now. "They want you to complete a practical assignment. Once you've passed it, your written report will form your last assessment and you will be able to graduate."

That didn't sound so bad... A little scary, but nothing she couldn't handle.

Seeing the confusion on the younger witches face, she sighed "Read the case file, and remember that you don't have to do it" she paused regretfully "but it's the only way they'll let you graduate at the end of this year."

Her mentor handed Hermione the faded manila folder and walked away. They had given the poor girl too much to do in her opinion. She had already proved herself, many times over, but it wasn't enough for the pencil pushers and suits that made the important decisions.

Hermione looked at the name on the cover.

 _Bellatrix Black_.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N You know, it's amazing how inspired I am to write these stories when I have major deadlines in two days. It's incredible, really.**

 **Special thanks Mandy and Leolaws! :D**

 **Trigger warnings: Depression, suicide attempt**

Having read through the case file last night, Hermione was stood in front of the mirror dressed and ready fairly early next morning. To be honest, knowing that the witch she was about to go and introduce herself to was the last thing standing between her, and her dream of finally becoming a mediwitch (and setting a new record for the youngest person to achieve it at that) had made it impossible for her to sleep much. She glanced at the clock, it was 5am. She sighed and sat back on the bed. It was tempting to go now, and get an early start, but she doubted her patient was an early riser, or indeed a morning person, judging from the case report. Settling back against the headboard, Hermione settled in to read through the file again. Despite her eagerness, Hermione knew this would be a tricky case. Although Bellatrix didn't seem much of a threat from the pictures in her file, Hermione only saw bright clever eyes and perfectly wavy dark tresses, the woman's record spoke for itself.

Bellatrix sat alone in Black Manor, she hadn't been able to sleep either. Without her guidance figure she was lost. She was a burden to her family. They tried to pretend she wasn't, but she was. She knew from the whispered conversations that stopped abruptly when she entered the rooms in Malfoy Manor that she used to walk into like she owned. She used to have such purpose, such power. She had always been in control. Now… now it was a different life.

Bellatrix ordered the last remaining house elf, a wrinkly little thing called Tiptoe, to run her a bath and then leave to serve Narcissa. She had already sent the rest of them to various places, permanently. She knew Andromeda needed help with Teddy for one. Thinking about Andromeda… it all seemed so pointless now. She had given up her sister, shunned her and killed her daughter, her own niece, for some cause that no longer existed; some cause that just wasn't important in the end. It just didn't matter anymore, nothing seemed to. Her husband was dead, her love was dead, all her friends, her brothers and sisters in arms… all gone. If they had even truly been friends in the first place. She was all alone, and that was just how she needed to be. She couldn't recover from this. There was nothing here for her, and no point moving to Portugal. What could a crippled witch possibly do anyway. She had point blank refused a wheelchair, and so Bella was left to grimace as she hobbled her way over to the adjoining bathroom using her new crutches.

Oh how the mighty fall.

After much effort and half-hearted cursing, she sat in the warm water for a moment. The temperature was relaxing and soothed the muscles in her back and arms, everything seemed to ache. She turned to face the ceiling and slowly, she sank into the bubbles. The water closed at the seams, and finally over the tip of her nose, until nought was breaking the water's surface.

 **A/N I don't mean any ableism, just an expression of her point of view.**

 **Updates should be more regular soon, once the assessment period is out of the way. Until next time dearies~**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I am on fire! /I have no social life because I told myself I was going to revise, and I believed me :')**

 **SlytherinEnigma – Thank you sweetie ^^**

 **Leolaws – Meh, why be healthy when dark characters are so so pretty…. And thank you! I shall try… Good luck for yours too :)**

 **WrinaBlack – I'm running out of ways to say thank you to you. Jeez. *sends cookies and doughnuts***

Hermione gave up at 7am, she could only read the same five pages so many times… Gathering her bag and coat, she locked her door and walked to the communal floo. She really had to think about moving, or getting the floo in her apartment working properly, she mused on the few second journey.

The water was still lukewarm, but Bellatrix was numb to it, she closed her eyes as she lay still, under the water.

Hermione realised after she had arrived and was dusting the soot off, that Bellatrix had no idea she was even coming. Feeling awkward and more than a little embarrassed, she called out "Hello?"

A few small bubbles left parted lips, and rose in a stream towards the surface.

"Bellatrix?"

The last few bubbles from the cinnamon scented bubble bath Tiptoe used popped, leaving Bella's nearly unconscious form entirely exposed in the water.

Hermione climbed the stairs cautiously, of course the dark witch would be in bed, why wouldn't she be, it was 7 o'clock in the morning! The young witch turned around on the staircase at that thought. She didn't want to start them off on a bad foot after all, there was no rush, only Hermione's eagerness to get started and be qualified gave her this sense of urgency.

The water was rapidly growing colder as Bellatrix's hair floated loosely in front of her face.

With a sigh and a determined expression, Hermione turned back. What would she do if she walked away now? Go and read that same case file for the hundredth time? She felt a slight pull towards the upper levels again. Dismissing her intuition as eagerness, she still turned on the last step, and started marching back upstairs. Maybe making her breakfast would put the older witch in a good mood for their first meeting?

In the hours to come, Hermione would wish she had spent less time thinking on such trivial things and ran up the stairs. She would wish that she had gone to visit Bellatrix when she had first been ready at 5am in the morning, fuck the time. It would have been worth it. If only she had known then what she knew now, it would all have been worth it.

 **A/N I never said there would be a happy ending now, did I…**

 **And now, here I go. Off into the beyond, to swim in seas of neurology and health crap. *sarcastic cheering* Jk, I'll probably be back in about five minutes, set your watches….**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Shout to SlytherinEnigma - that means a lot coming from the writer of Reforged... Thank you.**

 **(If y'all haven't checked out Reforged, I'd highly recommend it)**

She finished ascending the stairs and knocked on various doors. Receiving no answer, she ran a quick heat scan charm to look for sources of heat in any of the rooms. Seeing none, she ran it again. This was odd, Bellatrix would surely be at Black Manor?

It was in her file that she was not on speaking terms with her sister Andromeda, and that she refused stay at Malfoy Manor and 'cause inconvenience' as the darker witch had sourly put it. Hermione cast the spell one last time, and noticed a slight blip. It wasn't human shaped, but there was an anomalistic heat source a few rooms away. With nowhere better to start, Hermione headed through the closest door. The unmade bed gave away whose room it was, but there was no occupant. So, she continued to follow the strange blip of heat through another door.

Hermione found Bellatrix, cold, unconscious and closer to death than the dementors could ever hope to be. Hermione moved faster than she ever knew she could, her fourth year gym teacher would have been proud. Forgetting she had a wand, Hermione dragged the naked older witch out of the tub by holding her under her arms. Hermione put her into the recovery position, and started compressions on Bella's chest, she had to get the water out. Hermione paused, pressing an ear to a wet chest she listened more intently than she had ever done in her life.

Hermione had never lost a patient, but she had never done anything beyond basic heals on people who were alive… Bella was meant to be her first.

She heard nothing. Refusing to accept the reality, Hermione kept doing compressions, kept breathing oxygen into the unconscious figure beneath her.

Two tense minutes later, Hermione stopped. There had to be something else she could try…

Desperation gripped her as she knelt over the cold, pale figure. She barely had time to think of conjuring a fire or performing a heating spell when the body started convulsing. The convulsions were strong, and would have been much more violent had the darker witch held more than a small fraction of her former muscle strength.

The woman gasped as her eyes rolled open weakly. Not having the strength to sit up, Bella lay on the floor. The last of her energy rolled off her in the form of a tear when she realised this wasn't some kind of afterlife. She couldn't even take her own life, she was so helpless. They couldn't even let her have that.

Bellatrix was still covered in droplets of water, and Hermione was too busy trying not to have a heart-attack to notice the tear, her patient was alive.

 **A/N C'mon, hands up. Who thought I was mean enough to end it with Bellatrix's death just then?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Special love to 'Me' and BloodAuthor.  
**

 **Leolaws: You understand ;)** **Go study! You can do it. Definitely, I mean I think it shows her strength even at her weakest... Okay nope, no necrophilia... not my cuppa tea. Hehee, well I hope you won't be disappointed.**

Hermione remembered she had a wand, and picked it off the tiles where she had dropped it. Whipping some clothes onto Bellatrix, before she scooped the older witch up into her arms and apparated them to St Mungo's.

Hermione rushed them through the priority lane and sent a patronus to fetch McGonagall and bring her to the now occupied private room she had taken Bella to. Placing her gently on the bed, Hermione brushed the darker witches hair out of her eyes and looked at her closely. She didn't find whatever it was she was looking for. Bella grabbed her before the brunette could pull away.

"Don't tell them" Bella had to pause to cough "You know what they'll do if they know." Seeing the other woman's uncertain look Bella swallowed the last vestiges of her pride "Please."

Hermione didn't have a chance to respond before her mentor burst into the room

"Granger! What is the meaning of this?" The older witch caught sight of the dark haired woman on the bed. "I see you've met Miss Black" She said somewhat disapprovingly. In truth, there were very few things Minerva actually approved of.

"Something happened…" Hermione trailed off, unsure what to say.

"Continue please, beyond stating the obvious, if you would be so inclined Resident Granger."

To be fair, Minerva had been unable to go home due to an incident on the Knight bus. Lucius Malfoy had needed medical attention after drunkenly attempting to hijack the bus wearing nothing but a cowboy hat. He had somehow succeeded, and mass casualties had been the result. Luckily the majority of injuries had been easily fixable, but the time they took up had all but spent her precious nap time.

Hermione had to tell the truth, it had clearly been a suicide attempt and she would lose her position if she lied and they found out... Three years of training, wasted. Not to mention Bella must need help… But that's why you were there in the first place, the small voice in her head reminded her, to help Bella.

Bellatrix closed her eyes and waited to the brunette to open the ginormous can of worms that was her failed suicide attempt. From a glance at her, Bella knew the young mediwitch resident was too much of a goody-two-shoes to do anything but tell the truth. Bella sighed softly, and to think, none of this should have happened… she used to be the best at everything, especially killing! And now look at her, she couldn't even do that right.

"She slipped in the shower." Hermione's words caught everyone off guard. Bella quickly turned to look at the brunette, questioning her. But the brunette had no reply. She wasn't sure herself, why she had said that.

McGonagall sidestepped Hermione swiftly and performed preliminary scans, finding nothing urgent, she summoned a fresh chart and started scribbling things down. Hermione silently rejoiced, her mentor's human lie detector ability had chosen just the right moment to fail McGonagall for the first time in history.

Following several minutes of scans and tests, Minerva turned back to Hermione

"I trust she is safe in your capable hands?"

"Of course"

McGonagall paused for a moment before she turned to leave, glancing thoughtfully at her protégé. Saying nothing, she nodded and left as swiftly as she had arrived. Her cat nap was now beyond well overdue.

Hermione still had to write the incident report and finish the paperwork for Bella's chart.

"Bella" Bellatrix said weakly, this girl seemed to be a useful friend to have. Even if she had wandered into her house, uninvited, at a seemingly ridiculously early time in the morning and insisted on saving her life.

"Hermione" the young mediwitch resident smiled, maintaining eye contact for a moment longer than she normally would with a patient.

She finished the scribbling, signed off the papers and made a few notes on the second clipboard at the end of the bed. Smiling briefly at her patient once more, Hermione turned towards the door; her patient needed to rest before they could talk about what had happened.

Hermione poked her head back around the door just as the darker witch closed her eyes.

"Just sleep, okay? Nothing more… nothing less. Just some nice relaxing dreams?"

It was halfway between a statement and a question. Bella conceded after a moment's deliberation, she really didn't want to be saved again, and end up in the nastier part of St Mungo's this time. She nodded, and the brunette flashed another brilliant smile her way.

Once the door was closed and Bella was alone with her thoughts once more, she turned onto her side and prepared for the nightmares that plagued her mind when her defences were down. Her eyes opened for a moment, and flicked towards the door.

"Thank you."

It was whispered so softly, Hermione would never have heard it had she not posted herself out Bellatrix's door with an auditory enhancement charm set up on the inside. Hermione wasn't taking any chances.

 **A/N Yeah so I went with the muggle doctor hierarchy because I have no clue about the wizarding one.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N WrinaBlack: Teehee. I'm glad you liked it. Oooh… thanks for that. Woah, don't leave me in charge… we'll all be riding unicorns/dragons and eating candyfloss for dinner.**

 **Leolaws: Thanks m'dear! Probably, but I figure there must be a spell for that, so never fear, Bella will be fine. For now. I make no promises for future chapters :p**

 **And thanks SlytherinEnigma :)**

After not much deliberation, as there weren't many options open, Hermione had arrived at the conclusion that she had no choice but to move in to Black Manor with the darker witch, until she could trust her. Besides, she reasoned, it would probably be easier to do her physio in familiar surroundings.

Bellatrix had remained suspiciously quiet about the decision. Truth be told, she just didn't have the energy to argue with the stubborn brunette. The younger witch was exhausting at the best of times. 'Bella, stop hexing the nurses ', 'Bella, brush your teeth', 'Bella, get dressed', 'Bella, stop hexing the nurses', 'Bella, you have to eat something', 'Bellatrix Black, stop hexing the nurses or so help me Merlin I will tie you to this bed' her list of demands was never ending!

Eventually Hermione had confiscated Bellatrix's wand. She sighed, it was like looking after a three year old. A three year old that knew a surprising number of curses and wasn't afraid to use them. To be fair, her assigned nurse Richard was a horrible mediwizard and about the most clumsy, fumbling idiot you could be on two legs… And he had been her personal bully in first year. Once or twice, Hermione had been on her way to Bellatrix when she heard what sounded like Bella cursing Richard. Deciding over the ear-splitting sound of high-pitched pitiful whining that she must be imagining things, Hermione walked straight past Bella's door and took an early lunch. She felt a tad guilty, but it was turning out to be such a nice day...

 _Eight days later_

Apart from a slight incident at the Manor gates when they had arrived, they were nicely settled in and starting to develop a routine. Hermione would accompany Tiptoe, who thankfully had been sent back by Narcissa, and Bella's breakfast tray to her room. Bella would then ignore them for a while, and pretend to still be sleeping, before relenting and opening the door, taking the tray, and slamming the door in their faces again. If nothing else, Hermione was glad that Bella was at least walking over to the door every morning. The older witch had to start somewhere.

Despite this iota of progress, the young mediwitch was starting to get impatient. The sooner they started physiotherapy, the better chance Bella had of recovery. It was a sunny afternoon, and Hermiona had taken to reading in the library after lunch. At first she felt guilty for lazing in the sun and enjoying herself when she was meant to be helping Bella, but if the older witch kept refusing… well there was very little Hermione could do about it.

It was on an afternoon such as this, that Tiptoe appeared in the library, and after a moment of scanning the titles, picked one in particular up off the shelves.

"You like to read?"

Hermione said softly. She was surprised, she had never seen a house elf with a book before.

"Oh no, Miss Hermione, Tiptoe is getting a book for Mistress Bellatrix-"

A moment's deliberation followed.

"Tiptoe has never read for fun, Miss Hermione, so she would not know. Tiptoe is not sure she is allowed…"

Hermione chose one of the books from the pile next to her, and held it out to Tiptoe.

"This is a good story… There's a princess who falls in love with a Dragon"

Tiptoe took the book and held it reverently. When she spoke it was barely a whisper.

"Thank you… Miss Hermione"

Hermione grinned back, and while the house elf was distracted, took the book for Bellatrix from her grasp.

"You go and enjoy that, I'll give this to Bella"

Still caught up in the book she was holding, Tiptoe nodded without looking up, and disappeared with a pop.

After climbing the stairs and a moment's pause to gather her courage, Hermione walked straight in without knocking. The darkness disorientated her for a moment, before she simply flicked her wand and the lamps came on. Daylight would probably be too strong for the witch currently living somewhat like a vampire.

Once the lack of light is no longer an issue, the next thing that hit Hermione was the smell. Cleaning spells can only do so much, and it was abundantly clear Bellatrix has not even bothered with them. The darker witch was currently lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"You _need_ a bath"

Her gaze doesn't waver, merely squints slightly as she adjusts to the brightness after so many days in the dark.

"Come on Bella…"

"That's Mistress Black to you"

Hermione was taken aback slightly. She was being treated like a house elf. Bellatrix had been a lot nicer in the hospital. She had been a lot nicer before the incident at the Manor gates.

They had arrived by apparition, as the floo queue was lengthy and neither had wanted to stand and wait. Hermione frequently wondered about how things would be different if they had waited. When they had arrived outside the gates, Hermione had gone forward to open them. The next thing she knew, she was being violently shoved back through the air by some invisible force. Bellatrix, who had been half asleep leaning on the wall, was now standing poker straight and looking at Hermione curiously. The situation suddenly had her full attention.

Although they had been getting along better these past few days, Bella had even been making an effort to converse with Hermione which was a rare thing in itself, the darker witch was now impassive and made no move to help the fallen woman get back up. Hermione barely spared this a thought, her mind racing with the possible enchantments that could be on the gates and their counter curses. She decided the simplest approach would be best.

"Can you remove whatever spell that was?"

She was half wondering why Bella hadn't told her about it to begin with. Bella flicked her wand wordlessly.

"Try it now"

Her voice was strangely empty, cold.

Hermione tried once more, and once more ended up shoved away from the gates with the force of a hurricane. She looked up at Bella questioningly.

Bella walked towards the gate and it swung open before her without resistance. The darker witch left Hermione standing bewildered on the gravel, and finally glanced back over her shoulder briefly.

"Mudblood"

The word sounded like a poison on her tongue that she couldn't spit out. Despite the disapproval clear in that single word, Bella had left the gate open and Hermione followed her through, cautiously, but without triggering any other horrid, ancient spells.

That was the last word Bellatrix had spoken to Hermione, until today.

Well, at least they were kinda speaking again, that was progress… Hermione's inner optimist refused to quit, she still held hope for the darker witch.

 **A/N And we have another obstacle…**

 **By the way, Hermione won't be taking Bella's shit, she's not a doormat. However, she will be somewhat accommodating for the moment considering Bella's recent suicide attempt and general fragility.**

 **Let me know what you think...**


	7. Chapter 7

Trying to get Bella to take a bath, was like trying to convince a broom it was a cat.

An endeavour which Hermione would probably have had more progress with.

Bella barely looked away from the ceiling when Hermione entered with the tray as usual these days. The young mediresident was losing optimism fast, surely this was not how it was meant to be….

Deciding to make the best of a bad situation, and try and make some progress, Hermione decided it was bath day.

Now, how to break it to the currently brooding older witch?

"There's no way I can say this without it sounding patronising-"

"Then don't say it"

The brunette faltered slightly, before continuing

"But you need to have a bath. Today. Actually right now would be preferable"

Bellatrix simply laughed

"And what if I don't?"

Hermione groaned inwardly, great. It was going to be one of _those_ days.

"I'll just have to drag you there myself"

The condescending smirk on Bella's lips vanished in an instance.

"You wouldn't dare."

Hermione held her gaze

"No, you wouldn't dare to touch me with your filthy mudblood magic"

Raising an eyebrow, the younger witch stepped forward and folded her arms

"Really? Alright"

Hermione waved her wand and sure enough, Bella was soon floating in the air, still half covered in a bedsheet. Hermione set her down again, gently.

"Go and bathe, or I'll use my, yes _my_ magic, to do it for you"

Grumbling all the while, she hopped slowly over to the ensuite with her crutches.

Throwing Hermione scathing look before slamming the door.

Well that was easier than she had thought it was going to be.

On the other side of the door, Bellatrix was exhausted. That short distance had got her heart racing far more than it would have done normally. Or rather, before she had to rely on metal sticks to get her from A to B.

She grumpily concluded that lying in bed 24 hours a day every day of the week probably wasn't helping the muscles she did have either.

But she wasn't quite ready to admit out loud that Hermione was right.

Damn Gryffindor know-it-all.

 _Nearly a week later_ Hermione set down the tray on the table by Bella's bed.

"I don't like chicken soup"

"You don't like anything"

Hermione admonished. Bella paused, almost smiling at the quip, before she remembered she was meant to hate the girl.

Why was that again? She paused. Ah yes, dirty blood.

"Besides, you don't have to like it. You just have to eat it!"

"Yeah, yeah."

It would have sounded a great deal more dismissive if Bella hadn't had a coughing fit at that moment, and drank some of the liquid to soothe her throat.

Hermione outright smiled. Hurdle one, down.

Now for hurdle two.

Mission: Get Bella to have a bath. Again.

Hermione sat in what was becoming her usual armchair, and picked up the book she had taken to leaving on the table next to it.

"That was… vile. I forgot Tiptoe was the kitchen elf for a reason." She looked from the soup to Hermione and back again "How do you get soup wrong? It's soup!"

"Feel free to get up and make it for yourself"

Hermione turned the page of her book.

From her position, Bella looked almost content. She was propped up on her elbow, with a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other. She had regained some colour, and was being more… human, for want of a better word. Hermione couldn't put her finger on exactly what had changed, but something about the older witch was starting to… defrost. She was slightly different from who she used to be, warmer. Even if it was apparently accidental, these 'accidents' seemed to be occurring more and more frequently, as thought she were… slowly transforming.

The soup was gone soon enough, and after a while in companiable silence, Bella's curiosity got the better of her.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Gulliver's Travels"

"Who did what now?"

"Ah… it's a muggle classic"

There was a brief pause, as a thoughtful look passed over dark features. Hermione awaited the usual torrent of abuse that followed anything muggle.

"Right"

Huh… well that was new.

"What's it about?"

Bella seemed genuinely interested.

Hermione paused before letting her features form into a smile.

Maybe there was some middle ground between them after all.

 **A/N**

 **I'm really sorry about the wait… hopefully inspiration for the next update will arrive a lot faster!**

 **p.s. I am aware this was a fairly light chap. That's not gonna last long, as much as I love to create a contrast between happy/easier and darker times, I'm just easing y'all back in. As Scar would say, be prepared...**


End file.
